Rinkitink in Oz
Rinkitink in Oz is the tenth book in L. Frank Baum's series of Oz books. Baum dedicated the book to his recently-born grandson Robert Alison Baum, the child of Baum's second son Robert Stanton Baum. The wiki offers the full text of Rinkitink in Oz. Summary King Kitticut, who rules the island of Pingaree in the Nonestic Ocean, tells his son Prince Inga about the secret defenses of their country. Pingaree was once invaded by the armies of Regos and Coregos, two neighboring islands to the north. The invaders were defeated through the use of three Magic Pearls, gifts of the mermaids. The Blue Pearl gives superhuman strength; the Pink Pearl protects the bearer from all harm; and the White Pearl provides words of guidance that only the bearer can hear. Using these pearls, Kitticut's father and predecessor had led his people in an effective resistance against the invasion; the forces of Regos and Coregos were driven out, and drowned on their journey home. Inga has become old enough to learn these secrets, and Kitticut tells his son of the pearls' secret hiding place. The next day, Pingaree receives a royal visit from Rinkitink, king of the country of the same name, a plump and jovial neighboring ruler. Rinkitink is accompanied by his surly talking goat Bilbil. A surprise attack from Regos and Coregos lands suddenly, and seizes King Kitticut before he can make use of the magic pearls. The island is devastated and the inhabitants consigned to slavery. Inga evades the enemy by remaining hidden high in a tree, while Rinkitink accidentally falls down a well. Once the island is deserted, Inga rescues the king, finds the goat (who had been ignored by the invaders), and retrieves the pearls. The three row to Regos where things go well, at first; the pearls work as they should, rendering the three impervious to the enemies' actions. King Gos and his forces flee to Coregos. Success, however, depends on the continuing possession of the three pearls. The pink and blue pearls are accidentally lost. (Inga hides them in his shoes; Rinkitink throws one of the shoes at a howling cat in the night, and the other is discarded by a servant.) Inga tries to bluff his way through; but Queen Cor of Coregos is too clever for him, and captures the three resistors. The shoes are found by Nikobob, a poor charcoal-burner of Regos. He gives them to his daughter Zella, who wears the shoes when she delivers honey to Queen Cor. Inga sees his old shoes, and trades for them with Zella. Possessing the pearls once again, Inga defeats Cor and sends her fleeing — though she retains Inga's parents as prisoners. Inga and friends follow a trail to the Nome Kingdom; Nome king Kaliko, an ally of Gos and Cor, is holding King Kitticut and Queen Garee for them. Using the pearls, Rinkitink and Bilbil survive Kaliko's assault and Inga is reunited with his parents. Princess Ozma, watching events in her Magic Picture, sends Dorothy to the rescue with a basket of eggs, poisonous to Nomes. Inga and his parents and companions come to the Emerald City. There, it is learned that Bilbil the goat is suffering under an enchantment; he is actually Prince Bobo of Boboland. Glinda is able to reverse the enchantment. After a celebration, Inga and company return to Pingaree. The many captured slaves of Regos and Coregos are liberated and allowed to return to their home countries. Nikobob and Zella are rescued from poverty when Nikobob comes to Pingaree to oversee its rebuilding. Characters * King Kitticut and Queen Garee * Prince Inga * King Rinkitink * Bilbil the Goat * King Gos and Queen Cor * Captain Buzzub * Nikobob * Zella * Choggenmugger * Kaliko * Long-Eared Hearer * Lookout * Klik * Pinkerbloo Background In 1910, Baum had tried to end the Oz series after six books; he wanted to tell other types of fantasies. His subsequent books The Sea Fairies (1911) and Sky Island (1912) are examples of what he had in mind; and Rinkitink is another. The latter book was originally an independent novel, unconnected with Oz. Reader demands and financial pressures presuaded Baum to revitalize the Oz series in 1913; then he recast Rinkitink with an Oz-related ending and published it as the tenth Oz book. In 1939, Rand-McNally issued six Oz books in condensed, reduced-format "junior editions," to coincide with the release of the MGM film. Rinkitink in Oz was one of the six. King Rinkitink and Bilbil are anticipated and foreshadowed by Old King Cole and his donkey in "Old King Cole," one of the tales in Baum's 1897 collection Mother Goose in Prose. Influences Baum casts a king and queen as the villains of Rinkitink; King Gos is tough and forceful, but Queen Cor is smarter and more effective. Jack Snow follows Baum's example with his King Umb and Queen Ra in The Magical Mimics in Oz (1946). Sherwood Smith uses Prince Inga as an important character in her modern Oz book Trouble Under Oz (2006). External links * A discussion of the book 10 Category:L. Frank Baum Books